Using music online
You need an online music licence if you’re hosting content on your website, or providing on demand streaming, permanent downloads, podcasts, webcasting and general entertainment content.
A list of our licences are below. These licences cover the communication to the public and associated mechanical rights of our members’ music through all digital services, including websites.
These licences do not cover content on third party websites and social media platforms such as YouTube or Facebook. Those wishing to live-stream via platforms such as Facebook and YouTube should be covered by the existing licensing agreements in place with those platforms. There are currently no licensing arrangements in place with Twitter or Twitch, negotiations are currently taking place with both of these companies. Please ensure you follow the terms of use and copyright requirements of each respective platform.
For anyone wishing to live stream a concert in the UK or one of our managed territories (Malta, Cyprus, Gibraltar, The Bahamas or Bermuda).
For medium to large online services making general entertainment content available in the UK, such as TV programmes that contain music but are not a pure music service.
Our Limited Online Music Licence (LOML) is for small digital services in the UK which offer on-demand streaming, permanent downloads, podcasts, webcasting and audiovisual content to UK audiences. We categorise services as small if the annual gross revenue of the licensed service is less than £12,500 a year.
The Limited Online Music Licence Plus (LOML+) is designed for medium-sized digital services which offer on-demand streaming, permanent downloads and webcasting to a UK audience. We categorise services as medium if the annual gross revenue of the licensed service is between £12,500 and £200,000 a year.
The Performing Right Online Licence (PROL) is for digital services that have pre-cleared the mechanical rights separately and need to license the communication to the public of our members’ music via streaming or downloading.
For music downloading services that expect to exceed £200,000 in annual revenue.
If you are planning to launch a music service that will be available in the UK and any other European territory, and you expect your revenue to exceed £200,000, please contact us.
For services of all sizes that offer or sell music tracks for karaoke. Artists and works that are excluded from karaoke licensing are included here.
Other licences you might need
Licences from PPL
PRS for Music offers licences for the use of works on behalf of writers, composers and publishers. You must also seek a licence from the owner of the sound recording of the work, which is usually a record company.
Please contact Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL) to establish who owns the sound recording you want to use.
Issuing a digital copy with a vinyl purchase
If you are offering a digital copy with the purchase of a vinyl, you'll need a Vinyl Copy Code licence.
Contact our online licensing team
If you'd like to discuss live streaming or the possibility of a Music Streaming Licence, please email us at applications@prsformusic.com or call our licensing team on +44 (0)20 3741 3888, 9am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday.
